Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesEditors' Choice
Highly ripened fruit suggestive of red and black cherries with an expressive layer of rich oak and hints of vanilla and soy give this wine an attractive start. Admittedly a tad fleshy at the front and slightly tight at the back while being on the direct, obvious side at all stops, it never wavers in its tasty progression and can easily be put in the cellar for three to five years. And whether now or later, try it with savory lamb roasts.
Masút Vineyard & Winery was founded by brothers Ben and Jake Fetzer with a focus on producing estate Pinot Noir. They are the grandsons of Barney Fetzer who, together with his family built Fetzer Vineyards. In the early 1990’s their father, Robert Fetzer, was eager to begin a new chapter, and he he purchased a 1200 acre property and named it Masút, a Native American word meaning “dark, rich earth”. They began to plant Pinot Noir in this new mountainous area, eventually establishing their own appellation Eagle Peak, Mendocino County in which they are the sole winery. The vineyard is 35 acres of Pinot Noir straddling the western mountains at the headwaters of the Russian River. Each year the goal is to produce one wine of the highest quality and expression of Pinot Noir from the site.
Part of northern Mendocino County, the Eagle Peak appellation produces high quality Pinot noir.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
